Premium Denim
Major brands forecast their upcoming innovations. Since the inception of the category, premium denim has experienced tremendous growth in the marketplace. “The market has grown from $150 million in 2000 to a $700 million market in 2005,” says Jerome Dahan, CEO of Citizens of Humanity. “’Premium’ is now becoming a general term with the expansion of new denim brands,” says Kasil CEO/Creative Director David Lim. “The spectrum has grown quite rapidly, and that in turn has blurred the category. I think the true connoisseurs of denim will be able to differentiate ’premium’ from not.”
With intense competition, the top brands are constantly challenged. “There are so many brands that launch with fanfare only to disappear a few months later,” says Chip Foster of Chip & Pepper. “It takes a lot to sustain a successful brand, and the bottom line is, you have to have quality product. Every day there is a new brand emerging, but consumers tend to be brand loyal when they find a jean that works for them.”
“We have heard so much about the eventual burst of the denim bubble, but we don’t believe that to be true,” says Pepper Foster. “People have become accustomed to premium denim. They know what to look for in a quality piece of denim and won’t go back to less. So where four years ago you had people doubting the need for denim that costs upwards of $100, it is more accepted now.”
Yet, while the consumer has become accustomed to premium-denim prices, the ever-changing dynamic in terms of trend preferences keeps designers on their toes. It’s essential to accommodate the demands of savvy consumers, trend-driven sales, and in-store denim bars. Posing another challenge for premium-denim labels, mass-market denim brands have launched their own “premium” collections and taken aggressive steps to improve the quality and fit of their offerings. “Due to the over-saturation of denim, many feel as if all the jeans out there are starting to look the same,” Deener designer Ya-el Torbati asserts. “I would say a big change that has happened in premium denim, due to this, is a higher importance of fashion denim.”
“Over the past few years, we have seen significant narrowing of the number of brands on the market,” says Paige designer Paige Adams-Gellar. “Buyers have become more dedicated to certain brands and are not as willing to take chances on new lines since the market has become so infiltrated. This is a response to customers who are traditionally quite dedicated to their denim. Because of this, we are seeing more depth in the brands that have sustained.” Indeed, established premium-denim companies are making every effort to expand their brands. “Lifestyle” has become a common word in the denim market. After establishing a name, the next step is to become a lifestyle brand by offering sportswear and other non-denim items.
Italy and Japan remain the top two sources for premium denim, and many designers seem close to being on the same page in terms of styles and washes. Look for more eco-friendly fabrics and a return to lighter washes in the coming seasons. Color and the re-emergence of distressed, vintage washes are also big. Signature styles go back to basics with straight legs dominating skinny legs, and the popularity of wide legs has helped foster the return of the retro flare and the boot cut. “Most of the embellished looks have been replaced by a cleaner look,” says Jeff Rudes and Susie Crippen of J Brand. “It is an amazing time for denim because there are so many silhouettes available, and they are all selling equally well.”
In this special report, California Apparel News offers a glimpse of what some premium-denim brands are offering for the upcoming seasons.
AG Adriano Goldschmied
Koos Manufacturing’s AG Adriano Goldshmied has been in the top echelon of premium denim since its launch in 2000. Producing 2.5 million units annually, with a projected sales increase of 30 to 35 percent for 2008, Koos is keeping a stronghold on its market share with innovative washes and an assortment of fits for both genders. “True American denim is what we’ve been trying to achieve,” says Nicole Murray, vice president of design. “The new collections are looking back at American denim history and bringing it to the forefront.”
The brand is focused on three directions: pushing basics, then fashion, and what Murray describes as the “revolutionary Vintage Modern Collection.” Banking on the idea that the next evolution of denim is replicating vintage, Koos debuted the new line at the recent Bread & Butter trade show in Barcelona. The line ranges from “3-year-old” (slightly worn) to “25-year-old” (shredded and destroyed) denim with natural, three-dimensional creases and vintage pocketing from the 1900s. Featuring 14 washes (seven for each gender), the premier collection is offered in the Kiss silhouette for women and the Proteacute;geacute; for men.The company will also continue to promote rinses from fashion-forward to wash-and-dry techniques, bringing about 70 to 80 washes to the basics line. In addition, the company will introduce a new color technique with shades of olive, brown, and deep Bordeaux for men, as well as rose, pink, and “goblin” blue for women.With a range of fits from skinny to wide leg, AG Adriano Goldschmied is covering all bases. A key silhouette for Spring 2008 is the Legend, a flared leg for women that will re-emerge with a higher rise. The company will also be launching a slim straight leg called the Premiere.
Chip & Pepper
Since 2003, Chip & Pepper has expanded into sportswear, outerwear, maternity, and kids, as well as the vintage-inspired knitwear collection with original logos from universities. “Our brand is really growing, but everything complements the original denim,” says co-founder Chip Foster.
The Stella fit has become a signature style for the brand with a contoured waistband and asymmetrical rise, available in a variety of silhouettes (capri, trouser, petite, straight leg, and boot cut). “In Spring, we are offering a lot of tailored pieces, almost a couture approach to production with handmade attention to the production of the pockets, inseams, etc.,” Chip explains. For Spring 2008, the focus is also on fabrics. The company will offer organic and coated denim. Lightweight denim with a black-dyed overcoat on top of the indigo provides numerous wash options depending on how much the overcoat is treated. Sun-bleached denim will also make a comeback. “Colored denim will maintain its place in the market,” adds Chip. “It hasn’t quite peaked yet, contrary to popular belief.”
Citizens of Humanity
“The biggest challenge when we launched Citizens was to create newness and re-invent denim,” recalls Jerome Dahan, CEO for Citizens of Humanity. “I wanted to use denim as a designer fabrication—to cut and fit it as a ready-to-wear designer would. We had to shift the way women perceived denim.” Drawing inspiration from artistic movements, vintage styles, and menswear-inspired silhouettes, the Holiday 2007 collection for women features “deco-inspired shapes, curvilinear swirling lines, curved and contoured yokes, softly waxed denim, metallic stitching, saturated colors, and Citizens’ signature embroidered pocket designs, which reference iconic cultural images.” For the men’s line, the Holiday collection was influenced by vintage work wear with tailored fits. The palette is monotone, saturated, and dark. Cahan reports that for the Fall 2007 collections, the dressier cuts, darker washes, and high-waist fits were very well received by consumers, editors, and buyers alike.
Deener
Deener produces 40,000 pieces annually (with projected sales for 2008 between $3 million and $5 million) under the privately owned company Real Indigo LLC. For Deener, it’s not just about jeans but a complete denim collection. Designer Ya-el Torbati takes traditionally “non-denim ideas” and puts a fresh twist on denim, yielding a chic line with just a touch of edginess. The line combines clean aesthetics and plenty of style with fine detailing. “It’s a challenge to create jeans that are both sexy and comfortable,” she says.
Deener will offer lighter washes that maintain a clean look with retro casts of light blues and purples for Spring 2008. Torbati will also introduce a super-fine, lightweight denim “to continue with some dresses and other silhouettes that need to drape well,” says Torbati. “Color will be very important,” she says of the upcoming collection, “and my palette is super-vivid and old school with highly saturated hues.”The High Waist Cigarette is a signature style that will be reintroduced in new fabrics and washes. Torbati describes it as a “high-waist jean that hugs your middle perfectly, flattens the belly and rounds out the butt—the leg is skinny and tapered, but it doesn’t have that ’denim leggings’ look.”
Genetic
Producing approximately 100,000 units for 2007, with projected growth of 50 percent and projected sales of $15 million in 2008, Genetic has expanded to include high-waisted jeans, wide legs, and slit backs. The signature styles are: the Recessive Gene, a tailored low-rise sexy fit, and the Dominant Gene, a relaxed, mid-rise jean. “For Fall ’07, we introduced a super-soft fabric that is two-ply denim and chambray, which is very fluid in motion, and warm,” says Creative Director Ali Fatourechi. “For Spring ’08, we are introducing our eco-friendly organic fabrics in different silhouettes and some super-fine fabrics. We have developed some clean and basic washes, but we have also gone heavy into wash development with a bit more wear-and-tear, to give that authentic, vintage-inspired look.”
“We are planning to make our wide-leg jeans into a signature silhouette,” Fatourechi continues. “This jean is a conventional high rise with an exaggerated leg opening, making it a very free-flowing silhouette that drapes the body. I feel that with the abundant amount of denim lines that have emerged, buyers are looking more into fashion silhouettes for denim that differentiate brands,” he says.
Hudson
Rick Spielberg, vice president of Hudson, says that as the premium-denim market evolves, stores are seeking the stability of established brands and are not as open to new upstart brands. Hudson is producing 50,000 units in 2007, and planning 60,000 in 2008. Each season, the company offers one new style/fit. For Fall 2007 it was the Wide Leg. The signature boot-cut jean, with triangular back-pocket flaps and trademark Union Jack logo on the right, back pocket flap is now offered in multiple fabrics and washes. Top-selling styles (according to buyer demand) for Fall 2007 include the Wide Leg, High Rise Flair, Boot Cut, and Straight Leg. As for washes, Spielberg says it’s all about “the new blue—vibrant but dark for Fall ’07 and vibrant but light for Spring ’08.”
J Brand
J Brand introduced a clean, classic, dark-wash jean in 2005, in a market that was all about embellished denim and distressed washes. Considered a fashion leader, J Brand is known for being a trendsetter, allowing consumers to count on the brand to have the hottest looks before the trends peak. The label has expanded from a five-pocket jean company to a fashion denim company, with the launch of a men’s line in May 2007, Mama J by J Brand (maternity), and Baby J by J Brand (kids) in July 2007, as well as the soon-to-be launched girls’ line. Projected sales for 2008 are $65 million, with 900,000 units being produced.
The designers predict that high waists, wide legs, bell bottoms and lightweight denim will remain hot trends for Spring 2008. “We have some great new styles and are expanding our current styles. But our classic five-pocket is the foundation of the brand,” says Crippen. “We consistently give the consumer a great fit. This five-pocket jean is available in five different leg openings—from a 10-inch skinny all the way up to a 20-inch flare. It’s our 900 low-rise series or the 800 mid-rise series—both will always be in our line.”
Top-selling styles (according to buyer demand) for Fall 2007 are The Love Story (bell bottom), The Doll (high waist), The Bardot (high waist), and classic boot cuts. J Brand will debut the Spring 2008 collection at Coterie, Sept. 18–20. “We are so confident with the current transition of high waists and wide legs that what’s next is just going to expand that look,” says Rudes.
James Jeans
With an average production run of 400,000 units annually, James Jeans is an established premium brand and a pioneer in the dry-aged denim process. The washing and treatment processes, in which natural sunlight is utilized to react with photo-sensitive organic compounds that are coated on the jeans, is “all natural and entirely green,” producing vintage-like washes. “We were fortunate to be one of the earlier brands in the market space,” says company President James Sway. “We recognized as early as 2005 the need to become environmentally conscious and conservative.”
For Spring 2008, the label will introduce DAD 2.0 Green Edition. “This exalted dry-aged denim will incorporate new washing techniques and new applications of hybrid organic compounds, resulting in even better washes and fits,” Sway explains. “The new washes are going to be a little more progressive and fun-seeking, in comparison to recent past seasons. Fabrics are of course going to be all organic, as they are the best on the market at the moment.”The basic five-pocket boot leg is the company’s signature style and continues to be the top seller to date. Over the seasons, the cut has been fine-tuned “to accommodate the evolving fashion mores.” In response to the skinny craze, the leg openings were slimmed. For Fall 2007, a selection of wide legs called the Robyns (high rise) and Wesleys (mid rise) are prominent.
Joe’s Jeans
Joe’s Jeans, part of Innovo Group, continuously expands its Basic Fits Program, which began as six core bodies and currently includes ten fits. For Spring 2008, the brand will introduce several new wide-leg silhouettes that feature “high-end styling details,” as well as a new “super-flare” jean, and higher rises on the basic fits. “We’re most proud and excited about the careful strategic development of our increasing brand strength and recognition by building new businesses and entries into new markets with the launch of Joe’s Collection [modern sportswear basics with an emphasis on luxury fabrics such as cashmere, leathers, silks], Joe’s Mens, Joe’s Kids, and Joe’s Accessories [small leather goods],” says Vice President of Sales Elena Pickett.
Producing over a million pieces annually, projected sales for 2008 are $85 million. The latest denim collections for Fall 2007 and Spring 2008 will include 4-way, Bi-Stretch fabrics to contour the body in a sexy, tailored manner, as well as a variety of denim weights (8–12 ounces), and new eco-friendly denim.
Kasil
For Fall 2007, Kasil is offering clean and over-dyed washes—deep indigo hues, along with blue-black tones. Spring 2008 washes are beach-inspired, in light sand, baby blues, and light blue-gray tones. The newest style in the women’s collection is the Vixen, a very sexy, slim, straight cut. “We also have our Madison Wide Leg Trouser that has been with us for four seasons and running,” says Kasil Creative Director David Lim. “We had impeccable timing with the trouser fit, in that it was a little early on a consumer level, but that gave us the necessary time to perfect not only the fit but the fabric selection. With trousers, it’s all about the fit and clean look while retaining a denim classification. We have expanded our collection to include an entire line of trousers in varying fits and fabrications; they have become part of the foundation of Kasil.”
Paige
“We are truly evolving into a lifestyle brand, which really exemplifies my mantra that we are for everyone,” says Paige designer Paige Adams-Gellar.
In addition to signature denim silhouettes, new styles for Spring/Summer 2008 include a trouser “that fits like a fine slack but has all the comforts of denim,” says the designer. “And we’re throwing in some Art Deco–era formal detailing with cummerbund-style waistbands and pocket embroidery.”
“I believe we are going to see a resurgence of lighter washes with an emphasis on clean,” predicts Adams-Gellar. “The season will be all about silhouettes. What I love about this forecast is that anything from wide leg to super skinny is fair game, which falls in line with the way I design my line in that I design something for every body. Wearing what works well for your body is the trend and that just thrills me!”
ProportionofBlu
Since its inception in September ’06, The ProportionofBlu has worked within the guidelines of the golden ratio. “Using this ratio in elements of our pattern and design development, as well as unique details, can be challenging, yet in a very positive and creative way,” says Terrell Wick, design director of The ProportionofBlu. “Beyond design, this concept creates both our story and a platform to further develop our brand.”
For Spring/Summer ’08, the label will modify the basics with innovative finishes and introduce non-denim in many new silhouettes, including dresses, trousers, skirts, vests, and a selection of knits. The signature straight leg has been updated in the wash and finishes. New washes for the denim line include resin rinses, metallic presses, and over-dyes in beautiful, muted colors. “Our wide leg has been popular with the buyers for Fall, as well as our boy-cut and narrow boot. The denim cape has been well received, as well as some of the other fashion pieces,” reports Wick. Strengthening U.S. and global distribution, the POB team has added two European trade shows for the fall: White in Milan and Tranoi in Paris.
Rock & Republic
In just five years, Rock & Republic has evolved into a full lifestyle brand. “We produce everything from handbags to eyewear and finely tailored suits. Rock & Republic is a fashion brand,” says CEO and Creative Director Michael Ball.For the upcoming season, the label will stick to its formula of embellished denim with leather appliqueacute;s (rebel leather with crystals and studs). The company will also introduce 4-way stretch denim for Spring 2008 and a fabric for men that resembles brushed twill. Classic styles will be updated and new bodies introduced.
